worship

verb

wor·ship | \ ˈwər-shəp also ˈwȯr-

worshipped also worshiped; worshipping also worshiping

Definition of worship

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power

2 : to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion a celebrity worshipped by her fans

intransitive verb

: to perform or take part in worship or an act of worship

worship

noun

Definition of worship (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power also : an act of expressing such reverence

2 : a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual

3 : extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem worship of the dollar

4 chiefly British : a person of importance —used as a title for various officials (such as magistrates and some mayors)

Other Words from worship Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about worship

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Choose the Right Synonym for worship

Verb

revere, reverence, venerate, worship, adore mean to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully. revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling. a professor revered by her students reverence presupposes an intrinsic merit and inviolability in the one honored and a similar depth of feeling in the one honoring. reverenced the academy's code of honor venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age. heroes still venerated worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony. worships their memory adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment. we adored our doctor

Examples of worship in a Sentence

Verb

Many ancient cultures worshipped the sun and moon. They worship at this temple. I worship God in my own way.

Noun

worship of gods and goddesses Worship services are held daily. the media's worship of celebrities

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

His songs weren’t designed to be worshiped or embalmed. — Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Rosanne Cash and Ry Cooder put fresh twist on Johnny Cash songs at Chicago Theatre," 19 June 2019 About 9,000 Southern Baptists from churches across the country are expected to assemble to worship, listen to sermons and do the business of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. — al.com, "Southern Baptists will address clergy sex abuse; victims plan rally," 9 June 2019 His daughter-in-law says this church includes members of the Catholic, United Methodist, Mormon and Church of Tonga faiths, who all gather on Sundays to worship, sing and hear preaching in the Tongan language. — Dallas News, "'Texas in my heart': Aging Tongans still call Euless home," 6 June 2019 Reese Witherspoon’s Madeline works in real estate now, which means more coastal homes for the camera to worship. — Darren Franich, EW.com, "Big Little Lies season 2 is brilliantly acted and all over the place: EW review," 5 June 2019 Also home to the Faceless — religious types and assassins who worship the Many-Faced God of death, and collect faces of the dead from all over the world. — John Carucci, The Seattle Times, "It’s not too late to dive into ‘Game of Thrones,’ with help," 13 Apr. 2019 In the lobby of the Evangelical Church center in Abu Dhabi, the capital, a board lists more than 50 congregations that worship there. — Asa Fitch, WSJ, "In Arab Nation, Christians, Buddhists and Jews Emerge to Worship," 27 Jan. 2019 Like in last year's message, Charles brings attention to those who have suffered for their faith, in particular highlighting the attack on Muslims worshiping in Christchurch earlier this year. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Ahead of Easter, Prince Charles Publishes a Message of Hope," 19 Apr. 2019 This also isn’t a tale about how my 8-year-old daughter hates shopping, worships her father, and wants to live overseas one day, or how my 10-year-old sons always want to be with me, even though that’s all true as well. — Jackie Goldschneider, Good Housekeeping, "I Cried When I Found Out I Was Having Boys," 5 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The film starts off with survivors and victims' families recounting the horrific events that happened on the night of June 17, 2015, when a white supremacist walked into the historically black place of worship, opened fire and took nine black lives. — Rasha Ali, USA TODAY, "New documentary 'Emanuel' reveals the power of forgiveness after Charleston church massacre," 17 June 2019 Those words are carved on the cornerstone of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, which last month dedicated a new sanctuary near the site where the worst mass shooting in an American house of worship occurred. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al.com, "Birmingham firms collaborate to build new church at mass shooting site," 13 June 2019 And while former places of worship can be challenging to market and sell, due to size, configuration and importance to parishioners, some developers and homebuyers have found ways to turn these majestic, vacant buildings into cozy abodes. — Carisa Crawford Chappell, chicagotribune.com, "As congregations shrink, Chicago churches see new life as homes, apartments and condos," 11 June 2019 Police said Rose researched the three houses of worship and visited them between December 2017 and April 2018. — Alexa Díaz, latimes.com, "Anti-Semitic plot included ‘kill lists’ and targeted houses of worship, O.C. man admits," 3 June 2019 Church has streamed worship, preaching and prayer 24 hours a day through its website. — The Economist, "Alexa, who is God? A new app aims to win over agnostics," 23 May 2018 The first response, for an American accustomed to more puritanical forms of worship, is bemusement at the Pop Art look of all the neatly severed and articulated stamped metal votives. — Adam Gopnik, Town & Country, "My First Visit to the Greek Islands Turned Out to Be a Journey Home," 20 May 2019 Places of worship have increasingly faced targeted attacks by extremists. — Clarice Silber, The Seattle Times, "Texas church opens new sanctuary 18 months after massacre," 20 May 2019 Restaurants and houses of worship that moments earlier were hosting holiday feasts and joyful services were plunged into chaos, filled with rubble, broken furniture, shards of glass and the... — Uditha Jayasinghe, WSJ, "Sri Lanka Easter Bombings Kill at Least 290; Several Americans Dead," 22 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'worship.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near worship

worship at the altar of

worshipful

Statistics for worship

Last Updated

23 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for worship

The first known use of worship was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for worship

worship

verb

English Language Learners Definition of worship

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to honor or respect (someone or something) as a god

: to show respect and love for God or for a god especially by praying, having religious services, etc.

: to love or honor (someone or something) very much or too much

worship

noun

English Language Learners Definition of worship (Entry 2 of 2)

: the act of showing respect and love for a god especially by praying with other people who believe in the same god : the act of worshipping God or a god

: excessive admiration for someone

British —used as a title when addressing or referring to certain officials (such as mayors and magistrates) —used with his, her, your, or their

See the full definition for worship in the English Language Learners Dictionary

worship

noun

wor·ship | \ ˈwər-shəp